Surely Not Love!
by KelseyWhiteleaf
Summary: Zhao is in love! He is dreaming when he is knocked back to reality by too familiar faces, faces he didn't want to see again. Is the love in our Zhao strong enough? chapter 2. R&R plz!
1. Chapter 1

This is my first 'love' story. I hope you like it. It's not really the usual 'love' story you might find. Please tell me what you think of it.

-xxx-

KelseyWhiteleaf

Surely not love!

The ship rocked. The waves were very high and it seemed as the ship could fall over any minute now. Men were running around as wild beasts as the thunder flew through the air as a whip slash. The beginning of the end, was the lightning strike at the steersman's post.

Admiral Zhao stood in the middle of his ship and looked around. Were these his men? Running around like unordered earthbenders? Fire was the supreme element! A little storm along the way wouldn't ruin anything!

That was what he thought, but as the waves got higher, the wind colder at any blow and the lightning heavier the ship couldn't hold on much longer. A gigantic wave came near, and threw admiral Zhao off board like he was a feather. Men ran towards the edge to find their commanding officer. They saw him gasping for air, splashing around in the water. They really wanted to get him out….but how?

Zhao was splashing around, until he eventually had no energy left and sank. The ship had been thrown away by waves and he was all alone in the water. Barely alive, he was thrown around, even under water. Would he die like this? Die without any honour to it, drowning, in stead of dying in battle while he was serving the Fire Lord…

The storm lay down and the sea returned to its normal self.

Somewhere in a small village at the coast a woman picked up a basket. The woman was around the 35 years old and very beautiful. She was well known in the small village, she used to help people with a smile. Very kind was the first thing you noticed about her.

That day, she went to collect some edible shells for one of the elderly women. The soft sound of the water together with the happy chirping of the birds gave her a sense of calmness. Her long skirt waved a little in the wind, but when she suddenly saw a man on the shore she fell on her back of fright. She gave a small scream with it when she noticed the clothes and what state the man was in.

Zhao, with his clothes soaked and ripped, lay on that beach. The sea had washed him up that shore. His head was on the soft but wet sand and his eyes were shut. Cuts and bruises were spread across his face. He was lying on his stomach with his face looking side wards.

The woman slowly crawled towards him. She looked at his face and felt by his neck. A heartbeat…he was still alive! But in what shape. She stood up slowly and wanted to pick up her shells and walk away like it had never happened. But she just couldn't. Of course she had noticed he was Fire Nation, and of course she didn't like Fire Nation because they had started this terrible war. But wouldn't she be exactly the same if she would leave him there and let him die? She laid back all her shells that had fallen out of the basket. Then she walked towards Zhao. She would help him.

A couple of hours later Zhao woke up, lying in a bed with a blanket over him to his chest. He looked around, he was in a small room which only contained the bed in the corner, some space to walk to it and a small table with a bowl of fresh water and a cloth. On the piece of cloth were some spots of blood. Zhao got up a little and felt by his face. Cuts, in his face. So the blood on the cloth was his!

The woman entered the room, full surprise that Zhao was awake.

"You're awake….!" She said astonished.

"Where am I?" Zhao asked, for the time being polite.

"You're in my house. I am Ji. I found you on the beach, and…I didn't want to leave you there."

"Thank you." Zhao said.

For now, Zhao had only been looking around. Now he looked at Ji. He immediately turned a little red. Ji really was a beautiful woman. Her long black hair was combed back and she had brown and sparkling eyes. She wore a brown dress, with a belt around her waist. She smiled to him.

"Please, if you're strong enough, I might have something to eat for you." Ji said.

Zhao stood up and walked after Ji. They entered a big room with a low table and some cushions to sit on. In the corner were fruits, vegetables and clams on a table. Ji signalled to Zhao that he had to sit and she got some vegetables and sorts and started to cook food. When she had finished she put in on the table. 2 bowls.

Zhao ate a bowl, and another. But then he stopped…

"What is wrong? You can have more if you want to." Ji said polite.

"I have to leave. I shouldn't even be eating what you are giving me."

"Why not?"

"You must have noticed, I am from the Fire Nation."

"Yes, I have noticed…." She said like nothing was wrong.

"Y...you don't mind?"

Ji shook her head.

"What is you name Fire nation soldier?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Zhao. And my rank is not just a soldier…I am an admiral."

"Admiral Zhao. Sounds good"

Zhao didn't say anything. He just kept looking in her eyes. Zhao turned all red when he saw that Ji was looking at him. Also Ji started to blush.

Zhao had fallen in love had fallen for a normal woman, without even noticing that she wasn't Fire Nation.

A normal woman had fallen for a Fire Nation admiral, knowing who he was, but accepting that not every Fire Nation inhabitant had to be bad.

To Be Continued


	2. Roses for the Lady

**Roses for the Lady.**

Zhao was walking along the shore. The waves were very small so you could easy find small shells. Then he saw a small flower in the water. A little white lily floated in the clear blue water. Zhao picked it up. "Beautiful for Ji." He thought.

When he walked on he saw more flowers, orange ones, pink ones, blue ones. After a while he had so many flowers in his hands he couldn't pick more. A whole bouquet.

Zhao went on. He had never realised that flowers were so beautiful.

"Admiral?!" A voice behind Zhao said.

Zhao looked over his shoulder, but when he saw the person who had said "Admiral" he suddenly dropped the flowers.

"S…Soldier!" He said with pauses.

"What are you doing here admiral?! Where have you been?"

"That is none of your business, soldier!" Zhao said quickly. Bad timing it was, seeing a Fire Nation admiral picking flowers while he actually should be fighting a war somewhere. Zhao was in deep trouble.

"Zhao? What is going on?" the voice of Ji said behind Zhao.

'How much bad luck can one man have on one day?' Zhao thought by himself.

"Admiral! Watch out!" the soldier yelled and he threw some fireballs at Ji. But what he didn't realise was that Ji was totally innocent and only was wondering what Zhao was doing. Ji was hit by the fireballs.

"NOOO!" Zhao yelled.

The soldier didn't understand what was going on. Didn't that woman try to attack his admiral? Or did he just do something extremely stupid? (I go for the last one XD )

"Admiral?" the soldier asked doubting.

"Go away!!" Zhao yelled back and threw flames at the soldier. He ran to Ji, knelt and took Ji in his arms. She was still breathing, thank goodness. But she wasn't doing so well. A large burn was spread across her chest, she seemed to have a hard time breathing and she was hot. Zhao picked Ji up and wanted to walk away, but for some reason he stopped and looked over his shoulder. He saw a Fire Nation ship there, the ship where that soldier came from. After what he had said and done in the presence of that soldier he would probably not be accepted anymore. He looked at the ship. The last ship that might bring him back to the life he lead before all this. Did he want to lead that life again? After the accident and after he met Ji he realised that there is more than being a famous soldier, than gaining terrain and fighting for that purpose. That even for him there is a person who loved him for who he was, and not for how many he earned, or how high he sat on the social ladder.

He turned and walked away. He didn't want to go back to that life. With Ji in his arms he walked to her house. He laid her in a bed and examined the wound. Fire Nation, now it actually came in handy that he knew a lot about fire. So that he would also know how to treat a burn. After 10 minutes he was done, and Ji lay peaceful in that bed. She breathed normal again and because Zhao put a piece of wet cloth on her forehead her temperature had dropped to normal. The burn had been treated and had been covered with bandages.

Zhao left the house to find some food and fresh water. People around the small town had accepted Zhao in their community, so when he asked if he could have some food and water they helped out as soon as he asked.

When Zhao came back he saw Ji sitting on the table. She looked very surprised when she saw Zhao entering with food and water. Also Zhao looked very surprised seeing Ji sitting there.

"I was afraid you might had left" Ji said.

"No, I couldn't….." Zhao answered.

"I'm glad."

"Why are you out of bed? You're wounded, you should rest" Zhao suddenly said in a worried voice.

"I wanted to see if you were here, but when I didn't see you….I thought you…."

"The fact that you were in your own house should have had proven the fact that I stayed, don't you think?"

"Yes…I think so…."

"Now get back in bed you. Don't make me pick you up and bring you." He said teasing.

Ji smiled sweet and stood up. She walked to her room and just before she closed the door she looked at Zhao. She was right, there was more inside that man than that the hard exterior showed.

A couple of hours later Zhao looked in the fire he had made ( in the fireplace! No worries : P )

Fire, the superior element. Before the fire you saw a small flower. Zhao noticed and looked at it. That was what he was doing before Ji got hurt. He was looking for flowers when he was on a walk. Why not find some flowers again? Things couldn't possibly get as bad as they got when he went on a walk the first time.

So that was when Zhao decided to go on a walk again. Near the village he noticed a beautiful rosebush. Pink roses were blossoming. He picked at least a dozen of them, then he returned.

Again when Zhao returned, Ji was up. This time, Zhao didn't care. Ji stood with her back to the door, but when Zhao entered she turned. Zhao walked to Ji and knelt before her. He had the roses behind his back, but then he showed them to her.

"Roses for the Lady." He said.

The look on Ji's face was beautiful. Tears entered her eyes, tears out of happiness. Such a sweet man. Who would have ever sought that behind our Zhao?

The coming days were quite normal. Zhao helped out on the fields because Ji couldn't. Ji appeared to have quite some strength inside of her though and she could very soon walk, cook and do those sorts of things again. Zhao stayed at Ji's place, he said it was because it was such a beautiful house. But others knew better. Almost the whole town had figured those 2 out. Love sweet love can't be denied. And soon out dearest Zhao will find that out.

To be Continued.


End file.
